Our Story

Business as usual

In 1979, a visionary couple had a big idea. They began helping people in some of the poorest places start and run profitable businesses. Today, our participants are earning profits and breaking free from poverty every day.

Our journey

1979-1980

Glen and Mildred Robbins Leet found Trickle Up with the first ten participants from Dominica

1990s

In 1997, Trickle Up moves from the Leets’ basement into its first office. By 1999, Trickle Up has started 82,544 businesses in 115 countries.

2004-2008

Trickle Up opens regional offices in West Africa, Asia, and the Americas expanding its knowledge and experience combating global poverty.

2005-2006

Trickle Up joins a consortium pioneering the Graduation Approach to reach the poorest and most vulnerable people.

2009

InterAction presents Trickle Up with the first of two Disability Inclusion Awards. Trickle Up is the only InterAction member to win twice (2009, 2014).

2012-2013

Trickle Up launches the Refugee Initiative and partners with the UN Refugee Agency to adapt Graduation to displaced people globally.

2018

Trickle Up serves over 160,000 people in 19 countries – more than twice the number reached in 2017 and 13 times the level of three years earlier.

Our start

Glen and Mildred Robbins Leet were lifelong advocates for human rights and economic justice. Skeptical about the effectiveness of giant, complex anti-poverty programs, they asked themselves, “What’s the simplest thing we could do help people escape extreme poverty?”

Their answer: Invest in women.

Provide seed capital grants of $100 to help them start a business. Help them save for future business expansion and family emergencies. Encourage them to work together, share knowledge, and support each other through challenges. Help women plan for a brighter future for their families, gain the skills and confidence necessary to realize their dreams, and inspire other women in their community.

“In years working in the international community,” said Mrs. Leet, “we saw first-hand what an overwhelming need there was for a program that would truly benefit the person ‘at the bottom.’ We saw the massive infusions of aid did not trickle down. The rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer.”

The Leets tested their idea with 10 women in the Caribbean island of Dominica. It worked and now, four decades later, Trickle Up has helped 1.5 million people create profitable businesses that feed their families, send their children to school, and provide enough to save for the future.

If you’re as passionate as we are about helping people break free from poverty and build better lives for themselves, please join us.

Let’s go further

People all have potential… The question is how are you going to reach them.

Mildred Robbins Leet, Co-Founder

The New York Times, November 12, 1997